The Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District (HUS) has announced that 280 employees will be made redundant following the completion of restructuring talks with staff representatives.
In total, the cuts will mean a reduction of around 778 person-years — an HR measurement of working hours — to HUS staff numbers. When the launch of redundancy talks was initially announced in August, HUS said it was looking to cut up to 990 person-years, prompting fears among unions that about 800 jobs were on the line.
In a press release, HUS stated that alternative ways to save money were found during the negotiation process, reducing the need to for job cuts.
The release also noted that the redundancies will primarily affect roles in administration, support services and management — as efforts were made to minimise reductions of nursing staff and doctors, although there will be a 2.4 percent decrease in the number of nurses as a result of the job cuts.
The cost-saving measures will also see HUS management members furloughed for a period of about two weeks next year.
HUS noted at the outset of the negotiations that was aiming to save some 50 million euros as a result of the restructuring talks, as it must balance its books to the tune of around 140 million euros in 2025.
Many of Finland's regional healthcare authorities are facing a bleak financial future, with further staff cuts likely despite a pressing need to recruit more workers rather than reduce their numbers.
Jenni Sorvari, chief shop steward with JHL — the union which represented thousands of HUS workers in the talks — told Yle that concerns are growing about how healthcare services can still operate following these cuts.
"It is frustrating and unbelievable that this is the solution being reached when the entire social and health care sector is suffering from a worker shortage," Sorvari said.
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